The fire-breathing artist ＂drinks＂ thousands of pounds of oil a year and burns his mouth for 34 years, but he has never recovered.

　　Sun Huaisheng performed in Shangheyuan Scenic Area on Qingming Festival.

　　In some tourist attractions and performance activities, tourists can often see amazing fire-breathing performances. With a torch in his hand, the performer suddenly opened his mouth and spewed orange flames several meters high from his mouth. The onlookers could even feel the heat on their faces in an instant, and the scene was very shocking with various juggling movements. How is this performance done? Can the oral cavity really withstand such high temperature? The Yangzi Evening News Zi Niu News recently interviewed Sun Huaisheng, a "fire-breathing" performer. The 46-year-old has been engaged in fire-breathing performances for 34 years. His daily performances in the Qingming Shanghe Garden in Kaifeng City, Henan Province were photographed by netizens and sent to the Internet, which caused admiration. However, behind the cheers, ordinary people have unimaginable bitterness. "My mouth has been desquamated by burns for more than a thousand times, and it may accumulate every year ‘ Drink ’ The kerosene under it reaches a thousand kilograms, and even once a month when it is serious. "

　　Sun Huaisheng is well-known in the Qingming Shangheyuan Scenic Area, and he usually performs his costume of Song Dynasty opera. According to records, the fire-breathing performance originated in the capital of song dynasty, which has a history of more than 1000 years.

　　I saw Sun Huaisheng walking around the field with an oil bowl. He put the bowl in front of the tourists and let them smell it. Judging from the tourists’ expressions, there is indeed a pungent smell. Sun Huaisheng took a sip, made a swallowing action, and then said a few words to prove that he had drunk kerosene into his stomach. He waved a small torch, then took a steady step and roared, only to hear "poof — —” With a roar, a fire dragon spewed out, accompanied by thick black smoke. The reporter learned that the branches and leaves of the old locust tree next to the place where he often performed were blackened. In addition to performing fire breathing, Master Sun will also play some tricks, such as swallowing fire in his mouth and tourists putting cigarettes into his mouth to light them. He can also perform fire-breathing kebabs.

　　● Is white lips hot?

　　The shopkeeper who knows him well nearby said that Sun Huaisheng earned not only hard money, but also hard-earned money, which was exchanged for good health. His lips were white and burned. Although he applied ointment every day, it never seemed to be thorough. In this regard, Sun Huaisheng said: "Scalding is inevitable. The scar on the corners of the mouth is scalded, but the whitening of the lips is not scalded, but corroded by kerosene."

　　● Do you really want to swallow kerosene?

　　He said that he has practiced fire breathing for decades, and the action of swallowing is of a performance nature. Usually, kerosene is contained in his mouth, but it is inevitable that he will swallow kerosene accidentally. I have to wash my stomach once a month, because the lead in kerosene is relatively high, and I am afraid of hurting my body. In addition to practicing martial arts to improve metabolism and detoxification, he heard that eating vegetables may have the effect of discharging lead, and he often eats fruits and vegetables.

　　● Can it be replaced by other flammable liquids?

　　Sun Huaisheng said that for so many years, I have been thinking about finding alternatives, but nothing can replace kerosene. "Now we use aviation kerosene, which has a high degree of cleanliness. Ordinary edible oil is definitely not good, and alcohol is not good." He said that alcohol is dangerous and will deflagrate, and the flame of alcohol is blue, and it is basically invisible during the day. It is not as big as kerosene flame and smoke, and it looks more impactful.

　　Behind the stunt

　　Now I have lost some of my taste.

　　Sun Huaisheng’s hometown is Ancailou Town, Cao County, Shandong Province. He said that in the past, they were also the hometown of martial arts, and all the children in the village had hobbies in martial arts. When he was young, he worshipped Sun’s family in the village as a teacher. Master had studied some martial arts routines in Shaolin Temple, and he followed him to learn hard qigong and boxing. At the age of 12, Sun Huaisheng became a master, teaching other children in the village to learn martial arts. At this time, he met Kuai Chuanzhi, the master who later taught him his fire-breathing skills. Master was a member of an old troupe in Shanghai, and happened to go to Ancai Building to find an apprentice at that time.

　　"At that time, my family made a living by growing wheat and cotton. There were too many brothers and sisters, and the burden on my family was heavy. So I followed Master to learn acrobatics in big cities." Sun Huaisheng said that he stayed in Shanghai with the troupe for several years, and later followed the troupe to Beijing and Tianjin until he was dissolved and went to Kaifeng alone.

　　Sun Huaisheng said that it took a certain foundation for Master to teach this stunt of fire-breathing. "First, practice drinking kerosene, eating fire and breathing fire. The learning process is very painful. I have peeled off my mouth for thousands of times. Even drinking hot water hurts when I have a wound in my mouth." Sun Huaisheng said that now, occasionally, there is a sudden change in wind direction, which burns eyebrows and hair. Because of daily contact with kerosene, eating is tasteless.

　　Sun Huaisheng told Zi Niu news reporter that only breakfast is the most fragrant and rich every day, because there is no kerosene smell in his mouth in the morning. Generally, eating at noon and at night is relatively simple, and drinking some soup. He must chew something first, then eat Chinese food and dinner every day. Only when saliva is secreted in his mouth will he regain some sense of taste.

　　I used to choke my eyes and ears with kerosene.

　　"Beginners are inevitably injured in the process of learning. I remember when I was 12 years old, I joined the troupe with Master, and then I learned to breathe fire. The first time I drank kerosene into my mouth, Master made me hold my breath and spit it out. As a result, I didn’t master the luck method, and kerosene choked into my six orifices, and my eyes, nostrils and ears were burning with kerosene. That kind of uncomfortable feeling made me want to die. " Sun Huaisheng’s strong Shandong dialect sounded very heroic. He smiled and recalled that when he studied with Master when he was young, he even admired his perseverance.

　　"I didn’t have good luck once, and the airflow sucked backwards, which seriously burned my mouth and was covered with blisters. The biggest blisters didn’t disappear for a month, and eating was burning. Master applied a herbal ointment to me every day, and I ate completely liquid. " Sun Huaisheng said, "Master also advised me not to force myself to go on stage, but I knew that at that time, the troupe could not arbitrarily remove the programs that had been broadcast. That day, I hesitated and fought back with the sound of gongs and drums. After this experience, I am not afraid of anything. "

　　"For decades, I can’t do without my wife’s care." Sun Huaisheng said that at first, his wife didn’t know that fire breathing would suffer so much. Once she saw blisters in his mouth, she was so distressed that she burst into tears and advised him to change careers. "When children were young, they thought I was great. They would tell other children excitedly that my father would breathe fire. Now I am often advised not to do it, or do something else, which hurts my health. " Sun Huaisheng told reporters, "I still have enthusiasm for this stunt, otherwise I can’t persist."

　　Too hard, no one wants to learn again.

　　Before contacting Sun Huaisheng, Zi Niu news reporter called the performing arts department of the scenic spot many times, and every time the staff said that Master Sun Huaisheng was performing. The staff also said that Master Sun had performances in the morning, afternoon and evening. And come every day, never seen him absent on vacation.

　　Talking about the working state of being full-time and not taking leave all year round, Sun Huaisheng said that he is from Shandong, and he has no relatives and friends in Kaifeng. He has been practicing martial arts since childhood and has never been sick. Besides, he is the only one who can breathe fire. Many tourists come here and don’t want to disappoint the audience. He said that regardless of the wind and rain, he insisted on performing six or seven performances every day, earning seven or eight thousand yuan a month. "These incomes mainly depend on the audience’s on-site rewards, ranging from 50 cents to 100 yuan, but I am also very satisfied." Sun Huaisheng said.

　　In Sun Huaisheng’s view, this fire-breathing performance, which has been circulating for more than 1000 years, is mysterious, entertaining and more attractive to the audience. He confidently believes that although there are fire-breathing performances in some acrobatic performances, not many people will reach his level of interpretation. As early as five years ago, he felt tired of doing it and wanted to recruit a successor. In the past five years, some people have come here to inquire about it. When they see a bowl of kerosene and a torch, they think it’s very simple. However, I heard that in the process of practicing, you should drink kerosene into your mouth and hold your breath. Once you don’t hold your breath, kerosene will come out from your nose, ears and corners of your eyes. The taste is suffocating and scholars are discouraged.

　　Now Sun Huaisheng is no longer worried about whether he can recruit an apprentice. "My son doesn’t want to learn, and he can’t eat this bitterness. I don’t want to teach him either. I can’t bear to let my son suffer, and other parents are even more reluctant to send his son to learn this!" Sun Huaisheng said that he still hopes that children will read more books, and there will be other good ways in the future, so don’t follow his path.

　　■ The doctor reminds the human body that it is prone to tumors due to long-term stimulation.

　　Hua Yongzhi, deputy director of the Department of Gastroenterology, Jiangsu Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, believes that there are very few groups of fire-breathing performers, and there is no statistical sample of such occupational morbidity in medicine. It is impossible to judge whether there is a high incidence rate in this profession from the data. Theoretically speaking, long-term exposure to foreign bodies and high temperature stimulation is harmful to the oral mucosa and digestive tract mucosa. In the process of repeated repair, cell variation may occur, which will form tumors to a certain extent. The World Health Organization attributed the frequent swallowing of food above 60 degrees Celsius to the related factors of tumorigenesis. From the appearance, although the fire-breathing performer suddenly spits out the fire, it is inevitable that it will be inhaled by mistake, and even the stimulated temperature exceeds 60 degrees Celsius, and the mouth, throat and even lungs may be seriously stimulated. Performers need to master skilled skills to fight the occurrence of injuries. Therefore, without skilled skills, don’t try it easily. (Yangzi Evening News/Zi Niu News reporter Ren Guoyong Respondents for the picture)